And they hoped to secure a trajectory for more young men and women into seasoned apprentices and business owners.

Young entrepreneurs can (and must) be encouraged to pioneer new, “cool” ways to raise and harvest livestock, timber and crops, said Vermont Council on Rural Development Executive Director Paul Costello, whose organization helped mobilize more than 500 people and 200 groups to do just that.

The average age of a farmer or logger in Vermont is about 55, the council reported this year. Forestland owners clock in, on average, about a decade older.

“We’ve got to work harder to re-seed Vermont for the future,” Costello told the large crowd.